Public Opinionhttp://www.sauer-thompson.com/
respected as well as despised" G.W.F. Hegel, 'Philosophy of Right']]>en-usthoughtfactory@internode.on.netThu, 02 Oct 2014 13:36:39 +0930going after the welfare statehttp://www.sauer-thompson.com/archives/opinion/2014/10/going-after-the.php
The Abbott Government's rhetoric is that they are absolutely determined to stop the trajectory that Labor left, which is debt going to $667 billion in 10 years, which is $25,000 for every man, woman and child. They won't give up on doing what is right to address the legacy that...sleep walking to the futurehttp://www.sauer-thompson.com/archives/opinion/2014/09/sleep-walking-t.php
The first tranche of the Abbott government's new anti-terror legislation---the National Security Legislation Amendment Bill (No 1) yesterday passed the Senate yesterday with bipartisan support. This amends the ASIO Act 1979 by adding a new section 35P (amongst others) to extend existing state and federal prohibitions on the disclosure of...historical amnesiahttp://www.sauer-thompson.com/archives/opinion/2014/09/historical-amne.php
The Abbott Government continues to say that its intervention in the 3rd Iraq War is for humanitarian reasons. It is, the ministers say, a limited intervention to assist the Yazidi minority group in Iraq earlier this year after Isis attacked them. Now we have an estimated 100,000 Syrian Kurds fleeing...Red Alert, Hollywood stylehttp://www.sauer-thompson.com/archives/opinion/2014/09/red-alert-holly.php
So we have a counter terrorism raid with over 800 police bursting into homes in Sydney, Brisbane and Logan, hovering helicopters, 15 arrested and detained, four charged. Oh, and the media were duly recruited and the major mainstream TV outlets supplied with footage of the commando-style operations, filmed and supplied...Australia's poor policy reform capacityhttp://www.sauer-thompson.com/archives/opinion/2014/09/australias-poor.php
In his ANU Policy Outlook 2014 keynote, "Public policy resilience and the reform narrative", at the ANU Ken Henry, the former Treasury Secretary, argues that policy reform proposals are unlikely to be implemented, and even less likely to prove resilient, unless accompanied by a compelling narrative. Henry states that the...banging the drums of warhttp://www.sauer-thompson.com/archives/opinion/2014/09/banging-the-dru.php
The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (Asio) has signalled that the terrorism threat level in Australia could be raised to high from medium. The rhetoric is that of manufactured fear is about a death cult over there posing a threat in this country. There’s no credible information that the Islamic State...just short sighted politicshttp://www.sauer-thompson.com/archives/opinion/2014/09/just-short-sigh.php
The Abbott Govt celebrates the removal of carbon pricing and the mining tax and stopping the asylum seeker boats from reaching Australian shores. That represents a roll back of Labor's policies and the rhetoric is that ridding the country of a minerals tax will boost income and create jobs even...here we go againhttp://www.sauer-thompson.com/archives/opinion/2014/09/here-we-go-agai-2.php
It's mission creep under the guise of humanitarian help--to prevent genocide against beleaguered minorities in northern Iraq. It follows the RAAF humanitarian supply airdrops to thousands of people still stranded on Mount Sinjar in northern Iraq. Australia's’s response to Islamic State (Isis) should be on humanitarian aid. Mission creep that... closing down of Australia’s renewable energy industryhttp://www.sauer-thompson.com/archives/opinion/2014/08/closing-down-of.php
The Renewable Energy Target has been a success. It's built up a wind and solar power generation industry at a very low cost to electricity users and, along with carbon pricing it has helped to reduce pollution and energy efficiency. It has helped to create Investment in windfarms, solar PV'S...establishing authoritarian rule?http://www.sauer-thompson.com/archives/opinion/2014/08/establishing-au.php
Contrary to the rhetoric from the Abbott Government Australia doesn't have an imminent debt crisis or a budget emergency. Australia has a long-term structural budget problem caused by an ageing population, which the Coalition is not seriously addressing. An ageing population means the government needs to spend more (on pensions...selling austerityhttp://www.sauer-thompson.com/archives/opinion/2014/08/selling-austeri.php
The Coalition has changed its budget rhetoric. It has dumped the budget crisis/ rhetoric and sovereign risk in favour of there is no need to worry as most of the appropriations bills have passed the Senate and that there is no problem if the Senate doesn't hurry up with the...the severed head picturehttp://www.sauer-thompson.com/archives/opinion/2014/08/the-severed-hea.php
Here's the picture of the child clutching the severed head of the Syrian soldier. According to the mainstream media the young boy (seven years old?) pictured with the severed head is the son of convicted terrorist Khaled Sharrouf, who escaped Australia on his brother’s passport late last year, three months...it's the inequality folkshttp://www.sauer-thompson.com/archives/opinion/2014/08/its-the-inequal.php
It is now pretty clear that the Abbott Government, in turning away from the public service, has contracted out its public policy to the Institute of Public Affairs (IPA) and the Business Council of Australia (BCA) turned away from the public service and that the task of the Abbott Government...a diversionary tactichttp://www.sauer-thompson.com/archives/opinion/2014/08/a-diversionary.php
The Abbott Government continues to think of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS ) as a terrorist organization along the lines of Al Qaeda, thereby implying that it will conduct terrorist operations in the west and in Australia. The Islamic State is in fact a state in a...a pantomimehttp://www.sauer-thompson.com/archives/opinion/2014/08/a-pantomime.php
The widespread surveillance of activity on the phone and online advocated by the spooks and government allies in the name of security paints us all as potential criminals. Just in case we do the wrong thing, or are up to something, it would be best to keep an eye out....